Delhi Police Will Soon Get 35 Sniffer Dogs From The Army To Cope With Rising Terror Threats

They will be kept in a first-of-its-kind dog squad building.

Thirty-five sniffer dogs trained by the Indian Army will join the Delhi Police force by the end of the month, according to news reports. The decision to add the dogs to the force was taken on the request of the Special Cell of the Delhi Police due to rising number of terror threats in the national capital, reported NDTV. As recently as Monday, the Special Cell issued an advisory about two terrorists trying to enter Delhi to execute attacks.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajan Bhagat, who is also in charge of the Delhi Police Dog Squad said that the sniffer dogs would help the police in locating explosives and finding evidence at crime scenes. The Delhi Police currently has 60 sniffer dogs, with a requirement of 150 more.

"At present, we have two to three dogs in each police district. This is less than the minimum requirement," Bhagat was quoted as saying. A proposal was sent to the army for 150 dogs, out of which the army has agreed to provide 100. Out of these, 35 of those will be given to the police within July from the Army Veterinary Corps. Each dog undergoes thorough training for six to nine months by the army before being sent into the field.

Delhi's sniffer dogs are mostly used to secure the metro stations, hotels, and the large number of VVIP events that Delhi hosts on a daily basis.

The sniffer dogs belong to breeds such as German Shepherds, Labradors and Cocker Spaniels and are part of the force for about eight years before they are retired. On retirement, they are given away to NGOs that work with animals.

The Delhi Police's existing 60 sniffer dogs are kept at two centres located in Model Town and Chanakyapuri areas of Delhi. The 35 new dogs will be housed at the police new, first-of-its-kind multi-storey dog squad building in Pushp Vihar, adjacent to the Crime Branch office, reported Business Standard.